The Angling Trust has joined forces with BASC (the British Association for Shooting and Conservation) to launch a new service for members of angling’s representative body.

Any of the Trust’s member clubs, fisheries or riparian owners who are experiencing damage to their fish and fisheries by cormorants can call the Cormorant Control Hotline on 01244 573019 where BASC’s game and gamekeeping department will give advice about the best way to deal with the problem within the constraints of the current cormorant control licence and wherever possible visit the fishery and carry out the shooting free of charge. BASC’s Game and Gamekeeping Department will also give free help applying for and completing the paperwork required for a licence from Natural England.
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said “We have experienced a sharp increase in the numbers of our members contacting us for advice on how to control cormorants. The first step is to apply for a licence from Natural England. Unfortunately for the average fishing club secretary this can be a painful process involving a 9 page form. Clubs may also be put off by the need for an experienced shooter with the correct firearm to carry out the pest control. This new service effectively deals with both those problems.”
Christopher Graffius, Director of Communications at BASC said “We applaud the Angling Trust’s continued efforts to assist their members in dealing with the growing numbers of cormorants and the effect on fishing. Many of BASC’s members are anglers too and this new initiative shows how important it is for those who use the countryside to stand together and work to preserve our fisheries, which suffer from over-abstraction, pollution, barriers to migration and a host of other issues.”